famous attractions of the middle east

1. THE TOURISM GEOGRAPHY
OF THE MIDDLE EAST

2. Countries of the Middle East
 Bahrain
 Cyprus
 Egypt
 Iran
 Iraq
 Iraqi Kurdistan
(autonomy
within Iraq)
 Israel
 Jordan
 Kuwait
 Lebanon
 Oman
 State of
Palestine
 Qatar
 Saudi Arabia
 Syria
 Turkey
 United Arab
Emirates
 Yemen

3. The Middle East-Cultural Features
 Vast petroleum resources
 All but two (Israel and Iran) of the countries in the
region are Arabic-Speaking
 Predominantly Muslim in Religion, except for Israel
and Lebanon
 There are substantial ethnic and religious minorities

4. Cultural Features
Aspects of Islam that influence tourist experience:
 The obligation of Muslims to pray five times a day
with special emphasis on Friday
 The requirement to fast between sunrise and sunset
during the month of Ramadan
 At least once in a lifetime, Muslims should make the
pilgrimage or haj to the holy city of Mecca

5. Tourism Demand and Supply
 The region accounts for a relatively small share of
the world tourism – almost 3% of arrivals
 Dubai invests heavily in tourism
 Oil-based prosperity of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf
states attract a large business travel market
 There is considerable volume of travel involving
business tourism, returning migrant workers, visiting
friends and relatives, pilgrimages and health
tourism

6. Tourism Demand and Supply
 With only modest progress in education, most
countries in the region are ill-equipped to meet the
challenges of globalization
 Foreign investors and national governments have
provided much of the infrastructure needed for
international tourism
 Cheap oil: more vehicles

7. Tourism Resources
 A wealth of cultural attractions: the region gave rise
to the world’s earliest civilizations and 3 major
religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
 A generally favourable climate for beach tourism,
although in some countries this is restricted by
cultural and religious attitudes (except Israel and
Dubai)
 The mountains in the north of the region provide
opportunities for winter sports

8. Tourism Resources
 There is also a scope for adventure holidays in the
more accessible mountain and desert areas
 Ecotourism in practice has made little progress

9. Main Threats to Tourism
 The political situation has been a major factor in
preventing the region realising its tourism potential.
Terrorism resulted in much negative publicity
 The unique appeal of the region lies in its antiquities
and cultural sites. These need careful management
and have a limited capacity to receive visitors.

10. Tourism Geography of Egypt
 It is a meeting place of East and West: mysterious
yet highly accessible
 The most populous of the Arab countries and the
cultural center for the Arabic-speaking world
 Its people is the inheritors of an ancient civilization
that flourished many centuries before the rise of
Islam
 The bulk of Egypt’s territory is desert
 The ‘Gift of the Nile’

11. Egypt
 Egypt is the dominant destination of international
tourists in the Middle East
 Egypt is attempting to widen its resource base by
encouraging conferences and special interest
tourism

12. Nile River

13. Tourism Resources of Egypt
 The Pyramids of Giza – the only survivors of the
‘seven wonders of the ancient world’
 The temples and other antiquities near Luxor,
including the world famous Valley of the Kings
 The temple at Abu Simbel near Aswan, which
UNESCO campaigns saved from inundation by the
Aswan High Dam Project

14. Pyramids of Giza

17. LUXOR TEMPLES

20. ABU SIMBEL TEMPLES

22. Other Tourist Resources
 Fayyum (Fayoum) Oasis
 Sailing in traditional felucca on the Nile
 Trekking in the Sinai Dessert
 Great potential: The Mediterranean Coast and the
Red Sea coast (Red Sea Riviera)

23. FAYYUM OASIS

25. FELUCCA ON THE NILE

27. SINAI DESERT

28. Red Sea Riviera

29. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF ISRAEL

30. ISRAEL
 The country is poor in natural resources, but has a
workforce that is enterprising and highly skilled in
the latest technology
 Offer a variety of scenery and climate, including
the snows of Mount Hermon, the sub-tropical
Galilee, and the heat and aridity of the Dead Sea
 Security is a major consideration for travel in Israel
itself, and El Al, the national carrier, routinely
carried armed air marshals on its flights long before
9/11 made it a global issue

31. Mount Hermon

32. Sea of Galilee

33. Dead Sea

34. The Demand for Tourism
Israel can offer a great variety of tourist products
including:
 Summer holiday resorts along the Mediterranean
coast at Herzliya and Netanya, and Ashkelon to the
south
 Eilat, Israel’s outlet to the Red Sea, has become a
popular winter sun destination, with facilities for
underwater photography, diving and water skiing

35. Herzliya

36. Eilat

37. The Demand for Tourism
 Spa Tourism has been developed around
picturesque Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and the
Dead Sea
 Working holidays on kibbutz, the uniquely Israeli
experiment in communal living

38. Spa on the Dead Sea

39. Mud Hut - Kibbutz

40. Trekking in the Negev Desert

41. Cultural Tourism
Archaeological sites many of which are mentioned in the bible
Herod the Great’s Hilltop Fortress Historic port of Acre (Akko)

42. Christian Pilgrimages

43. Major Cities
 Tel Aviv is the Financial Center of the country
 Haifa is Israel’s largest port
 Jerusalem-the capital of ancient Judea

44. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF JORDAN
 Jordan is a small, relatively poor Arab country
 Tourism plays and important role in the economy
 Major attractions now include:
 Petra, the ancient city of the Nabatean civilisation
 The desert scenery of Wadi Rum
 Eastern shores of the Dead Sea
 The Crusader Castle at Kerak
 Roman City of Jerash
 Pilgrim sites on the east bank of the river Jordan
 Beaches and watersports of Aqaba on the Red Seas coast

45. Ancient city of Petra

46. Wadi Rum

47. Eastern shores of the Dead Sea

48. Crusader Castle at Kerak

49. Jerash

50. River Jordan

51. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF SYRIA
 Roughly the size of England and Wales, Syria
comprises a large section of the Fertile Crescent
 Poor infrastructure is a major constraint on tourism
development
 Syria’s cultural heritage are represented by:
 The capital Damascus, the world’s oldest city
 Ruins of the ancient trading city of Palmyra
 The Krak des Chevaliers-castles built by the crusaders

52. Damascus

53. Ommayad Mosque

54. Palmyra

55. Krak des Chevaliers

56. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF LEBANON
 Lebanon is a classic example of a multi-cultural
society peopled toa large extent by successive
waves of refugees from other parts of the Middle
East
 Beirut – not only the financial capital but also its
main entertainment center
 The country’s tourist attraction include:
 Mount Lebanon – a number of ski centers have been
developed
 Bekaa Valley, includes the ancient temples of Baalbek

57. Mount Lebanon

58. Bekaa Valley/temples of Baalbek

59. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF THE
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
 A major player in international tourism
 Dubai has done most to attract Western tour operators,
and is an example of economic diversification
 A cruise terminal
 World-class golf courses
 Yacht marinas
 Ultra-modern shopping malls and traditional markets
 Sport tourism, including the Dubai World Cup

60. Dubai

62.  Abu Dhabi is aiming to a centre of cultural
excellence

63. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF QATAR
 The Qatar Tourism Authority has used its wealth,
based on vast reserves of natural gas, to become a
‘sustainable niche market destination.
 Doha’s international airport is designed specifically
to handle the new generation of Airbus
‘superjumbos’
 Has hosted a number of sports events, including the
2006 Asian Games

64. Doha, Qatar

65. 2006 Asian Games - Doha

66. Doha Landmarks – Doha Pearl

67. Doha Landmarks – Spiral Mosque
 The spiral mosque of the
Kassem Darwish Fakhroo
Islamic Centre is a recent
construction - It has
become in a few years
one of Doha's most
famous landmarks. This is
not a traditional Qatari
mosque but a replica of
the Great Mosque of Al-
Mutawwakil in Samarra
in Iraq.

68. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF OMAN
 In contrast to Dubai, Oman can offer the tourist a
more genuine experience of traditional Arab
culture.
 The country has a long history of seafaring traders
from the port of Muscat venture widely across the
Indian Ocean.
 Batinah Coast- being developed as a winter sun
destination for Europeans.
 Dhofar region-appeals to Arabian families

69. Muscat, Oman

71. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF SAUDI
ARABIA
 Saudi Arabia has the largest GDP in the Middle
East – it has the quarter of the world’s oil reserves
 Primary destination for business travellers, focusing
on Riyadh and Jeddah
 Visiting religious reasons to perform the haj/umrah
to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina

72. Mecca

73. Medina

74. Jeddah and Riyadh

75. Jeddah Airport

76. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF YEMEN
 Yemen is much poorer than other countries of the
Arabian Peninsula, and tribal traditions persist to a
much greater extent
 This mysterious country has much to offer the more
adventurous tourist, namely:
 Archictectural heritage of mud-brick tower houses and
palaces in Old Sana’a, Zabid and Shibam
 The remains of the ancient Sabean civilisation,
probably the biblical Sheba

77. Old Sana’a

78. Mud-brick houses in Sana’a

79. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF IRAQ
 The major part of Iraq is made up of the fertile
plains of the Tigris and Euphrates, historically known
as Mesopotamia
 Archeological sites: Ninevah, Babylon
 Baghdad is a modern capital, and little remains of
the city of the Abbsahid Caliphs

80. TOURISM GEOGRAPHY OF IRAN
 Known as Persia until 1935
 Different in laguage, ethnicity and culture from its
Arab neighbors
 Iran’s Tourism resources include:
 Isfahan ‘the city of mosques’
 Persepolis – remains of the Pre-Islamic Persian
civilisations
 Ski centers of Alborz mountains
 Summer resorts along the Caspian Sea
 The island Kish in the Gulf – upmarket winter
destination

81. Isfahan – The City of Mosques

82. Alborz Mountains

83. Kish Island